Attendance Matters: As we celebrate a great start to the school year, we also want to highlight the importance of being in school every day. Did you know that missing just 2 days of school each month adds up to nearly 10% of the school year? Consistent attendance makes a big difference for both academic growth and social connections.

Curriculum Night: 

• 6th Grade 

• 7th Grade

• 8th Grade

• Encore

Student Dropoffs: In an effort to keep students safe, we ask that all parents drive with care and reduce their speeds as they approach the school in their vehicles.

Curriculum Night: We would love for parents to join us for Curriculum Night on August 26th, from 6-7:00pm. During this event, our teachers will tell you about what your child will be learning and how they will be assessed in all of their classes. Please review the following letter for more information. 

Fall Athletics:  Fall sports will be in full swing soon with girls and boys soccer, girls basketball, and co-ed cross-country beginning the week of August 25th. Practices are from 3:30-5:00pm, Monday through Thursday, and an activity bus will be provided at 5:00 pm to take students home.In order for students to participate in these activities, they must have an updated sports physical and parents will need to sign the Agreement to Participate Form, along with the Concussion Form.  Here is a list of all of our clubs and athletics that students can get involved in this year. Feel free to contact Chuck Cereghino, ccereghino@dist76.org, for more information. 

• Boys soccer tryouts will begin on Monday, 8/25. 

• Girls soccer tryouts and girls basketball will begin on Tuesday, 8/26.

• Cross-country informational meeting on Thursday, 8/28.

Character Strong: Character Strong is a social-emotional learning and character development program designed to build empathy, strengthen relationships, and promote positive school culture. Starting this year, it will be implemented once a week during the Band/Choir/Advisory period for each grade level, giving students a consistent space to grow in leadership, emotional intelligence, and community connection. Please review this letter English/Spanish for more information. 

Calm Corners: Through our FSCS grant, we are excited to offer calm corner supplies in every classroom in our district. Calm Corners are being introduced in classrooms to give students a safe space to pause, reset, and manage their emotions when they feel overwhelmed. These areas help children practice self-regulation strategies so they can return to learning more focused and ready to participate. Our goal is to support both emotional well-being and academic success by fostering a positive, supportive classroom environment.

Diamond Awards: New to this year, we ask families to complete this nomination Form if they would like to recognize a staff member they feel are going above and beyond with what they do in the classroom, school, or district. Please consider spreading the positivity bys highlighting the great work that staff our doing in our district. 

Hand, Foot, and Mouth: Please review this document from the Lake County Department of Public Health as there has been an increase of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease in this area. 

Cell Phone Policy: Please review the following letter describing our cell phone policy and how it will be enforced through our Yondr program. Here is a short video outlining how the Yondr pouches work and how our procedures are implemented each day.  Please complete the D76 Cell Phone Acknowledgement Form and contact the Main Office if you have any questions. 

School Clubs: Here is a list of all the clubs we will be offering to our students this year. Their meeting dates and times will be regularly updated on our building's website. 

Standards-Based Grading: Once again this year, Standards-Based Grading will be provided in order to give students and parents a clearer, more accurate, reflection of student learning and mastery of specific skills needed for each course. This approach focuses on individual standards rather than overall grades, allowing students to understand their strengths and better identify what they need to improve and achieve. Please refer to this page on our district’s website for more information. 

Google Classroom and PowerSchool: As a reminder, students should charge their Chromebooks each night and bring their Chromebook and charger to school every day.  Teachers will be using Google Classroom to share assignments and due dates with students.  Additionally, we encourage parents to get involved with how their child is doing in their classes by setting up an account through our PowerSchool Parent Portal.  Here are links to set up both PowerSchool (English/Spanish) and Google Classroom. (English/Spanish)